Ribbon-shifting mechanism



April 14, 1931. R. E. PAGE 1,800,399

RIBBON SHIFTING MECHANISM Original Filed Oct 1, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l l l l I hlm-lain.

IHHHHI I lll April,14,1931. 'REP/5E 1,800,399

RIBBON SHIF'TINGl MECHANISM Original Filed OCT., lJ 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet .2

April 14, 1931. R E, PAGE 1,800,399

RIBBON SHIF'TING MECHANT SM Original Filed Oct. l, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 @7 v wmtoz April 14, 1931 R. E. PAGE 1,800,399

RIBBON SHIF'TING MECHANSM Original Filed Oct. l, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIGA.

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3mm/nto@ ml v wunuuv y f Mii/ @m Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTl OFFICE RALPH E. PAGE, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TABULATING MA- CHINE OOMPANY, F ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY RIBBON-SHIFTING MECHANISM Original application illed October 1, 1927, Serial No.v 223,314. Divided and this appli Serial No. 310,493. f

This case is a .division of application Serial No. 223,314 led by me October 1, 1927, for a Ribbonl supporting mechanism.

The object of this inventionis to provide novel means for shifting a ribbon having printing in different colors.

Further objects and advantages will be set forth in the following portions of the specification and shown in the drawings which Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a printing head reciprocator with the shiftable ribbon mechanism and removable ribbon supports thereon.

Fig. 2 is a side view of same.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the ribbon supports and automatic ribbon controlling device.

Fig. 4 is a detail of theribbon supporting means. Y

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing a detail of the ribbon shifting means.

In order to clearly disclose my invention, it has been shown as applied to a printing head rcciprocator disclosed in the copending application of R. E..Page, Serial No. 217,079 filed Sept. 2, 1927, ybut it will be understood that the invention is applicable to any similar printing apparatus.

For the purposes of this invention it will be suileent to give a general outline of the operation of the printing head reciprocator,

a detailed explanation of which may be had by referring to aforesaid copending' application. The printing head comprises a shaft 10 carrying pairs of cams 11 and 12 fixed thereto at each side of the machine. o Coacting with these cams are cam followers 13 and 14, respectively. The cam followers 13 and 14 are fixed to a cross head 15 slidably mounted for vertical movement on guide rods'16. The upper end 17 (Fig. 2) of the cross head 15 engages a bar 18 carrying a diiferent color bands laterally to permitv cation illed October under the infiuence of aspring 29 to engage one of the notches 30.0n the type bars 22. Movement of the bar is thereby stopped, while pawl 19 coacting with the notch 21 of said bar leaves the notch and permits the cross head to continue moving upward. It is understood that there is a printing magnet 25 and locking pawl y28 for eachtype bar 22 and due to the releasable drive of the bars, the latter may be stopped in different relative positions. Each of the type lugs 23 corresponds to one of the notches 30 on the type bars 22 so that the type luv' corresponding to the notch engaged by loc 'ng pawl 28 will be in position for printing upon the record sheet against the inking ribbon and laten roll. Printing by the type lugs 23 is e ected after the cross lhead has completed its rise by means of hammers 31 actuated by a spring 32 through a linkage 33,34 and 35. 75 Cooperating with a link 35 is a cam mechanism 36 on main shaft 10 which has portions engaging a cam follower 37 on said link 35 to retract the hammers 31 while the type bars 22 are being moved to theirv uppermost position. After the type bars have reached their uppermost ositlon a cam wiper 38 on the link 35 begins to eoact with the cam mechanism 36 and when the wiper reaches a recess 39 in the cam, link 35 moves toward the recess permitting sprin 32 to rock link 33 clockwise, as viewe in ig. 2. A plate 40, integral with link 33, moves with the link and engages hammers 31 to actuate them towards the type lugs 23, causing them to 00 strike the type lu s which are in printing position. Before t e machine is set in operation, any type bar 22 that is not to be used may be restrained from actuation by the cross head by means of one of the latches 42 which is moved into position to engage the topof the bar and thus hold it inoperative. eference will now be had to Flgs. 1, 3, and 4 wherein removable ribbon supports and means for automatically shifting an inking ribbon from one color to another is illustrated. As will be noted two ribbon rolls 42 are mounted on a fixed plate 42a and are rovided with any well-known means for ceding and reversing the direction of feed of the ribbon. The feeding and reversing means need not be described herein as it forms no part of the present invention. The ribbon 43 is directed and guided by a series of like guide rolls `44 into printing position between the type lugs 23 and the platen roll 24. The guide rolls 44 of said series of guide rolls, also serve as end supports for the ribbon as it passes in front of the type lugs. The ribbon is further supported b stationary end supports 45 and remova le intermediate supports 45. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the removable support 45 comprises an arcuate arm car ing a wire hook 46 at one end through wh1ch the ribbon 43 travels. This wire hook is o en'at the to so that the ribbon may easily' be inserte therein. The opposite end of the arm of support 45 is provided with a rectangular notch 47. Extending the width of the machine, parallel to main shaft 10, are notched bars 48 and 49 (Figs. 1 and 4). Fixed to the bar 48, adjacent its ends' is a stationary ribbon sup ort 45 (Fig. 4) extending horizontally an at right angle to the bar. This ribbon support has a retaining hook 46 thereon similar to that of the removable ribbon support 45. It yis to be understood that for all settings of 'the machine, the two stationary supports 45', are at the side of the device and serve as supports and guides for the ribbon 43. At ,each side of the machine, a lever 50 is pivoted intermediate its ends at 51 to a plate 52 fixed.

to the side frame of the machine ,as shown in 50 Fi 3. At one of their ends, levers 50 are r1g1d with the ends of notched bar 48 extendin at ri ht angles to the/levers and at the ot er en levers 50 are pivotally connected to the ends of notched bar 49.

When one of the supports 45 is to be placed 1n Eosition to support the ribbon, the ribbon is rst inserted into the wire hook 46. Said support is then mounted on bar 48 by seating the rectangular notch 47 on said bar in position for the topwall of the rectangular notch to engage that one of the bar notches 53 which is in line with the type bar locked out by latch 42. The bottom of the support has an undercut projection 55 which is engaged by the ledge of bar 49, the latter piv oting on its connection with lever 50 to permit placing projection 55 thereunder. A set of springs 54 holds bar 49 firmly against said projection 55. One of the notches 53 0n bar 49 is in alignment with the notch 53 on the bar 48 upon which the support has been placed and both bar notches serve to prevent transverse movement of the support 45 when the latter is mounted on said bars. The support 45 when in position is thus fixed against transverse movement by engagement with a pair of aligned notches 53 and held against longitudinal movement by the projectlon 55 engaging bar 49 and rectangular notch 47 enga ing bar 48.

he ribbon 43 may be of the ordinary twocolor type i. e. comprising a black or bluehalf which is normally held in front of the type lugs 23 in printing position and a red half which is normally held out of printing position but which may be brought into said position, when desired, by suitable mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. I

Referring now to Fig. 3, an enlarged detail of the ribbon shifting mechanism is illustrated. A cam 56 fixed to the shaft 10 of the machine coacts with a cam follower 57 mounted on a link 58 which link is pivoted on a pin 59 to the frame of the machine and biased by a spring 60. Link 58 has p1vota lly connected thereto a link 61 one end of which has a spring 62 connected thereto, the spring being also anchored to link 58. The upper end of the link 61 carries a stud 63 which coacts with a hook member 34 pivoted at 65 to a bell crank 66. A stud 67 carried by the vertical arm of the bell crank 66 engages between the bifurcated portion 68 of an arm 69 integral with a plate 70 fixed to the notched bar 48 by screws 71 (Fig. 1).

A magnet 72 fixed to the device at 73 when energized through a suitable circuit attracts its armature 74, pivoted to standards 75. Integrally formed with armature 74 and extending at right angles thereto is a member 76 biased by a spring 77. The member 76 carries a stud 78 at its lower end which abuts the link 61. A suitable ide 79 on one of the standards is provi ed for guiding the vertical movement of the hook member 64.

When it is desired to shift the ribbon from its normal position in which the black or blue portion thereof is in line with the type for printing in said colors to a position where its other color ortion such as red is in line with the type or printing red characters, a suitable circuit is set u through a magnet 72 which when energize attracts its armature 74 to rock it counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3. The right angular extension 76 of the armature then moves toward link 61, and the stud 78 therein engages the link 61'turning it clockwise on its pivot with the result that the stud 63 on the link engages in the hook portion 88 of the member 64. In the normal operation of the machine willi characters being printed in black, the cam 56 will oscillate links 58 and the link 61 yieldingly connected thereto without causing motion of link 64 due to the fact that pin 63 is out of engagement with hook 83 on hook 64. When the magnet is energized to cause the stud 63 to engage the hook portion of the latching member 64 as described, link 61 upon being actuated dowmvardly by cam 56 and link 58 will through pin 63 move link 64 downwardly. The downward movement of the member 64 rocks bell crank 66 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3 and through arm 69, plate 70, integral with the arm and bar 48, rocks the levers 5() connected to said bar about pivots 51 (Figs. 3 and 4). The levers 50 in this movement carry bar 49 with them so that the bar 48, levers 50, and bar 49 rock as a unit about pivots 51. rI he right hand ends of stationary and removable ribbon supporting bars as viewed in Fig. 3 which are mounted on said bars will thereby shift upwardly to position the red or any other desired color portion in line with the type in printing position.

Deen-ergization of the magnet 72 permits spring 77 to rock armature 74 and arm 76 so that the stud 78 withdraws from the link 61. The stud 63 on the link 61 is likewise withdrawn by the spring 62 from engagement with latching member 64. The ribbon shifting mechanism is restored to its normal black or blue position by means of the spring 82.

It is to be understood that the contour of cam 56 is such that while magnet 73 is energized, the cam retains the ribbon in its shifted position during the time that the printing hammers strike the type to print on the paper. lVhen magnet 73 is deenergized, )in 78 on armature arm 76 will be retracted, permitting link 6l under force of spring 62 to follow the pin whereupon pin 63 on said link will leave hook 83 on link 64 thus breaking the connection between links 61 and 64. Hence, cam 56 will oscillate links 58 and 61 without imparting motion to link 64 so long as magnet 73 is deenergized.

A recess 84 in the arm of removable support 45 is adapted to permit entrance of the upwardly extending rear end 85 of the latch 42 when the latter is engaging its corresponding type bar to hold it down, as shown in Fig. 3. IVhen the latch is not holding a type bar down, its end 85 will not enter the recess but engage the bottom of the support arm and prevent its being placed in printingr position, thus preventing positioning a support 45 over an active type bar.

lVhile I have shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. ed therefore only as indicated by the scope of the `following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with printing elements, actuating means for moving said elementsto different positions, and a ribbon support, means for shifting said ribbon support to present different colored parts of said ribbon to printing position comprising a slidably mounted bar connected to said support, a pivoted'link, an arm to which said link is pivoted, said arm being continuously operated by said actuating means, and magnetically operated means to move said link on its pivot into contact with said bar to shift said ribbon support.

2. In combination with printing elements, and a shaft for effecting movement of said elements to different positions, a ribbon support pivoted intermediate its ends, a ribbon guide carried by one end of said support, a linkage connected to the other end of said support, a cam fixed to said shaft, means continuously oscillated by said cam, and electrically controlled means for coupling said means to said linkage to rock said ribbon support about its pivot.

3. In combination with printing elements and operating means for moving said printing elements to different positions, a ribbon support, a linkage connected thereto for moving it to present different color parts of the ribbon in a printing osition, a hook on the lower end of said lin (age, a member continuously actuated by said operating means, a coupling link between said member and said linkage, said link being provided with a pin normally disconnected from said hook and magnetically operated means for engaging said link and connecting said pin to said hook to thereby effect movement of the linkage and shift the ribbon support.

4. A ribbon shifting device comprising in combination a support for holding a ribbon in printing position, a linkage attached to the support for moving it to shift the ribbon laterally for presenting different colored parts of the ribbon in printing position, a latch element formed on said linkage, a second linkage, a cooperating latch element carried by the second linkage, a continuously rotating shaft for continually actuating said second linkage, and means including a pivoted member having a stud thereon in engagement with said second linkage for moving the latch elements into engagement to cause the second linkage to actuate the first-named linkage and shift the ribbon laterally.

5. A device comprising a support for a ribbon, means for shifting the ribbon support laterally to present different colored parts of the ribbon to printing position, a depending element `carried by the ribbon support, an

I intend to be limitl elongated slot in the lower end of sai element, a bell crank having at the Upper encl of one arm a pin coacting with said slot, n. slidable link for oscillating said bell crank, :t pivotefl reciprocating link for actuating said sliduble link, and means for moving said pvoted link into cooperative engagement with the slixlable link to thereby effect shifting oil the ribbon support laterally.

1 ln testimony whereof'l hereto uflix my signature. RALPH E. lRAGE. 

